Portrait of Manuel Tolsá

Rafael Ximeno y Planes is considered one of the representatives of academic Neoclassicism in late XVIIIth-century México. His oeuvre is abundant and, in his religious works, he showed a predilection for depictions of the Virgin Mary. In the area of portrait-painting, a genre which became important in this period because the nascent bourgeoisie was beginning to require the services of local artists to record their likenesses for posterity, the artist has left us important exemplars such as his canvas of Barón Alexander von Humboldt. Manuel Tolsá, a prominent personage closely associated with the San Carlos Academy, had his portrait painted by Ximeno y Planes. Tolsá gave birth to, and followed through on, the ideas illustrated in this work: the famous equestrian statue of Charles IV known as El caballito and the Palacio de Minería both clearly attest to his status as an important personage in México. Unlike the traditional full-figure portraits, the artist shows us Tolsá sitting in a red-velvet armchair which contrasts with the dark-green background. The distinguished nature of the subject is reflected both in his clothing - a waistcoat, ruff and chestnut-colored, silk-textured jacket- and in his posture and serene demeanor. His legs are crossed and his right hand rests lightly on his knee, reminding us of the portraits of intellectuals and personages close to the court of Charles III painted by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). Tolsá is holding a classical sculpture under his right arm, alluding to his profession. The vertical position, head held high and face seen three-quarters- on, complement his energetic gestures and stress the sculptors social savoir-faire. This work passed to the MUNAL from the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery in the year 2000.